Flash card game and stand



Se t. 13, 1966 R. e. CHUY FLASH CARD GAME AND STAND Filed May 21, 1964FIG. I.

INVENTOR.

FIG. 2.

Ill", "Ill IIIIIIIII llliillhiliiilliii! Ill United States Patent3,271,882 FLASH CARD GAME AND STAND Ruth G. Chuy, 15447 Sorrento,Detroit 27, Mich. Filed May 21, 1964, Ser. No. 369,140 2 Claims. (Cl.3531) This invention relates to flash card games used by children forlearning simple arithmetic problems wherein a problem appears on thefront face of a card and the answer thereto on the rear face thereof.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a means for maintaininga set of flash cards in a compact and orderly fashion while they arebeing used, and for being able to ascertain the answer to a problemwithout having to turn each card to read the answer usually printed onthe rear face thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide a structure whereby oneset of cards, for example of addition problems, can be quicklyinterchanged with another set of multiplication or division problems,etc., or with a set of cards relating to other subjects of learning.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a novel andimproved flash card game and stand device which is simple and compact inconstruction, economical of manufacture, and easy to use.

it is still a further object of the present invention to provide a noveland improved flash card game device comprising a set of flash cards, astand, means for mounting said set of flash cards on said stand, andmeans carried by the stand and cooperative with said flash cards to showthe answers to problems appearing on the front faces of said flashcards.

In general, it is the object of this invention to create more interestand excitement in learning through the use of flash cards with the novelemployment of a mirror in which to read the answers.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will beapparent from the following detailed description, appended claims, andthe accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flash card holding device made inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the structure illustrated in FIG.1, taken along the line 22 thereof, and looking in the direction of thearrows;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the front face of one of the flashcards employed in the invention; and,

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the flash card illustrated in FIG.3.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference charactersdesignate like or similar parts, the numeral generally designates anillustrative embodiment of the invention which comprises a standgenerally indicated by the numeral 11 and a set of cards of the flashcard type designated generally as 12.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flash card holding stand 11 is of an Lshaped formation having a horizontal, rectangularly shaped platform 13and an upright plate member 14 projecting vertically upward from one endthereof for the purpose of providing a rectangularly shaped housing orrecess 15. Vertically positioned in the recess 15 is a rectangularmirror 16 which is fixedly secured in place by glue or other suitablemeans.

3,271,882 Patented Sept. 13, 1966 "ice Mounted in the annular opening17, provided in the midportion of said platform 13 and adjacent thefront edge 18 opposite said upright member 14, is the vertical portion19' of an integral L shaped rod generally indicated by the numeral 20.The rod 20 has its other horizontal portion 21 extended parallel to saidbase platform 13 with its inner terminal end 22 being slightly radiusedinto the upward direction for a purpose which will be disclosed indetail hereinafter.

Mounted onto the horizontally disposed portion 21 of said L shaped rod20' by means of annular openings 23 is a set of cards which are eachdesignated by the numeral 12. The cards are made from any suitable rigidor firm paper, or plastic material. The illustrative cards 12 haveproblems in arithmetic printed on the front faces 24 thereof as forexample, an addition problem of 3 plus 4, as shown in FIG. 3. As seen inFIG. 4, the rear face 25 of the flashcard 12 of FIG. 3 has a numeralprinted backwardly thereon, in this case the numeral 7, which is thesolution to the addition problem 3 plus 4 appearing on the front face ofsaid flash card.

It will be readily apparent that as each card 12 is rotatably raisedabout said rod portion 21 and held upright in front of said mirror 16,the backwardly printed numeral appearing on the rear face of said cardwill be reflected from said mirror to the viewer in proper position forreadability.

For the purpose of more easily flipping each card from one side of therod portion 21 to the other, each card 12 has its lower terminal 26rounded. For the purpose of preventing each card from sliding off ofsaid rod portion 21, the inner or free end of said rod portion isslightly radiused into the upward direction as indicated by the numeral27 in FIG. 2.

It will also be realized that any type of flash cards incorporating theaid of a mirror can be used for problems or written questions in otherfields than mathematics wherein an answer may b in the form of a word orgroup of words comprising a sentence also backwardly printed, and thatone of the sets of cards can be slidably removed from said rod 20 and bereplaced by another set.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the inventionherein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated,it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible tomodification, variation and change without departing from the properscope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device of the class described comp-rising: a plurality of flashcard type cards; each of said cards being provided with a rounded lowerend and a centrally located annular opening through said lower end; aplatform having a plate on one end projecting vertically upward forvertically mounting a mirror thereon; an L shaped card supporting rod;said platform being provided with an opening spaced from said plate formounting one end of a vertical portion of said L shaped rod; the otherhorizontal portion of said L shaped rod extending toward said mirror andbeing disposed in parallel relationship to and spaced above saidplatform for mounting said flash cards thereon by means of said centralopenings for forming a rotatable axis for said flash cards, whereby eachof said flash cards may be rotated selectively from a horizontalinoperative position to a vertical operative position; said flash cardshaving their rear faces facing said mirror;

printed means carried on the front faces of said flash cards fordisplaying problems; and, printed means carried on the rear faces ofsaid flash cards for showing the answers to problems appearing on thefront faces of said flash cards in cooperation with said mirror.

2. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein: said printed means forshowing the answer to a problem comprises the answer to said problembeing printed backwardly on the rear face of each flash card so as to bereflected from said mirror on said stand.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 335,837 2/1886Peckharn 359 X 5 434,855 8/1890 \Vorsiey 403l2 1,736,552 11/1929 Shuimanet a1. 35-9 2,723,464- 11/1955 Zaikind 3532 EUGENE R. CAPOZ IO, PrimaryExaminer.

10 WI-LLIAM GRIEB, Assistant Examiner.

1. A DEVICE OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF FLASH CARDTYPE CARDS; EACH OF SAID CARDS BEING PROVIDED WITH A ROUNDED LOWER ENDAND A CENTRALLY LOCATED ANNULAR OPENING THROUGH SAID LOWER END; APLATFORM HAVING A PLATE ON ONE END PROJECTING VERTICALLY UPWARD FORVERTICALLY MOUNTING A MIRROR THEREON; AN L SHAPED CARD SUPPORTING ROD;SAID PLATFORM BEING PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING SPACED FROM SAID PLATE FORMOUNTING ONE END OF A VERTICAL PORTION OF SAID L SHAPED ROD; THE OTHERHORIZONTAL PORTION OF SALD L SHAPED ROD EXTENDING TOWARD SAID MIRROR ANDBEING DISPOSED IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP TO AND SPACED ABOVE SAIDPLATFORM FOR MOUNTING SAID FLASH CARDS THEREON BY MEANS OF SAID CENTRALOPENINGS FOR FORMING A ROTATABLE AXIS FOR SAID FLASH CARDS, WHEREBY EACHOF SAID FLASH CARDS MAY BE ROTATED SELECTIVELY FROM A HORIZONTALINOPERATIVE POSITION TO A VERTICAL OPERATIVE POSITION; SAID FLASH CARDSHAVING THEIR REAR FACES FACING SAID MIRROR; PRINTED MEANS CARRIED ON THEFRONT FACES OF SAID FLASH CARDS FOR DISPLAYING PROBLEMS; AND, PRINTEDMEANS CARRIED ON THE REAR FACES OF SAID FLASH CARDS FOR SHOWING THEANSWERS TO PROBLEMS APPEARING ON THE FRONT FACES OF SAID FLASH CARDS INCOOPERATION WITH SAID MIRROR.